AAP stays ahead, 70 local manifestos for Delhi polls in final stages

Staying a step ahead of competition, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the final stages of preparing the manifestos for every constituency of the city.

In a first for the Delhi assembly elections, the AAP had promised to come up with a local manifesto for the 70 constituencies. These documents were to be a reflection of the macro issues plaguing each area.

HT examined four of these manifestos and each was a study in contrast.

Power, water and roads have emerged as the key issues in the VIP constituency of New Delhi, which will see a face-off between AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and chief minister Sheila Dikshit. Water crisis in government colonies, poor roads outside Lutyens’ zone and inflated power bills are likely to find a mention in the local AAP manifesto.

The other major issues are women’s security and theft in government colonies. “In most areas, people are fed up with lack of coordination between New

Delhi Municipal Council and Central Public Works Department,” said Gopal Mohan, Kejriwal’s campaign manager.

In west Delhi’s Najafgarh, agricultural issues will take a centre stage in the manifesto. The rural constituency is home to 17 villages. “Here we are promising setting up shops for fertilizer and seeds,” said Mukesh Kumar Dagar, AAP’s candidate designate.

In Greater Kailash constituency, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a key issue. It is a bane for the effluent and a boon for bus commuters from nearby Ambedkar Nagar. Saurabh Bhardwaj, the candidate designate from Greater Kailash, said: “BRT is a huge problem for my area. But if neighbouring constituency favours it, we will try to come up with an amicable solution.”

In Rohini, poor colony parks and absence of public urinals is an issue.

“We will be finalising the draft once it is vetted by Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav and release the manifestos soon. They will be taken to all houses with an attached blank post card for feedback,”